Is Hillary Clinton a Frugalista?

Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton may be a frugalista. Seriously.  The senator is having a few money woes on the campaign trail. She's loaned herself about $11 million, and she may have to loan more. 

According to the New York Times, she will run some frugal campaigns in the future:

Clinton advisers said they were looking for opportunities to save money on campaign events in the coming primary states of West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon. The advisers said events would be more frill-free, but they also said that the campaign was likely to go deeper into debt to vendors who design and produce her events.

When I ask if Clinton is a frugalista, it's because she's considering cutting back on the campaign trail. I don't think carrying debt is a frugalicious thing to do.

However, the Clintons don't seem to be hurting for cash in their personal lives with their big book deals and other assets. Furthermore, the family can command high fees for speeches.

Still, she's having to deal with her financial future as a candidate. Slate.com had this interesting explainer article about the fiscal ramifications that Clinton may face after the primaries.

What do you think of Senator Clinton's money concerns? Does it not matter because she's flush in her personal life? In today's society, is it possible to run a bare-bones campaign? Can money buy an election win?  If you were her, would you loan yourself that money?

For the record, I am not registered to any party.

Comments

[$ out of .15]

I think this says a ton about the clout that money has in American electoral politics. Regardless of which candidate you support, one thing is clear: everyone who runs for president on the ticket of a major political party is wealthy by the standards of the average American. It's nearly a prerequisite. Even if, arguably, one were middle class and could muster a formidable campaign, that person would still need money to flow from big donors to keep the campaign afloat. And most middle class folks don't hobnob with the kinds of people who can make a real economic difference to their campaigns.

[Coco]

I don't beat myself up over self loans ($100s instead of millions in my case) I give myself super-low rates ;-) !

[With Open Eyes]

Problem is, she hasn,t paid a LOT of vendors in states she has already been through. Be aware of that West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oregon. Her campaign will inevitably ask, "Please bill us" - I'd personally have serious reservations about not getting paid up front.